An illustration of a of a person on their hands and knees. There are black lines surrounding the person and the background is white.

Keith Haring’s Radiant Baby is one of his most famous. The image represents a pure and positive experience of human existence and is symbolic of Haring’s hope for the future. Although Radiant Baby derives its origin from Christianity it has been used in many of Haring’s other works associated with racism, drug addiction, AIDS awareness and tolerance. 

Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an artist and social activist from Pennsylvania whose work was influenced by the New York City street culture and graffiti art of the 1980s. A 1997 Vanity Fair article states that "some of his most characteristic imagery involved figures twirling around and playing together, happy but never aimless." Since Haring's death from AIDS-related illness in 1990, images he created that speak about racism, drug addiction, AIDS awareness and tolerance have become iconic.

The Keith Haring Foundation was established in 1989, and it concentrates in 2 areas of giving: “the support of organizations which provide educational opportunities to underprivileged children and the support of organizations which engage in education, prevention and care with respect to AIDS and HIV infection.”

This button is part of a 12 button series that was made by the Busy Beaver Button Co. for the Keith Haring Foundation's Pop Shop.

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Jesse Jackson's 1984 campaign was his first run for president. The appearance of the slogan, "The time is now" is unusual for memorabilia from this campaign. Much more common is the slightly altered phrase, "Now is the time", which appears on several buttons, t-shirts, and posters. The change may have been due to the fact that "The time is now" had been the campaign slogan for the Reagan-Bush presidential campaign of 1980.

The colors in the rainbow image are likely based on a statement Jackson made in his address to the Democratic National Convention of 1984. Advocating for a renewed Rainbow Coalition, Jackson said, "Our nation is a rainbow -red, yellow, brown, black, and white". The rainbow motif appears often in materials from Jackson's 1984 campaign, but as with the button's slogan, this color combination is unusual.

Photograph of a man in front of a large crowd at the Capital building in Washington D.C. with an outer red edge with white text.

The Million Man March was a gathering in Washington, D.C. on and around the National Mall. This march was organized and led by Minister Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam (NOI). The intention was to gather black men to address family values and unity and to gather at least one million black men. The organizers felt that the number of people in attendance exceeded their goal. However, the National Park Service estimated only 400,000 in attendance, with later independent estimates placing crowd attendance between 800,000 to over one million.

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"We did it for Harold, we can do it for Carol" was the slogan used during Carol Moseley-Braun's 1998 reelection campaign for the United States Senate. The slogan called back to Harold Washington, the first African-American Mayor of Chicago, since Moseley-Braun was the first African-American woman voted into the United States Senate in 1992. Although Moseley-Braun had strong support from Chicago and from former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, she was not reelected to the Senate in 1998. 

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Harold Washington was the first black mayor of Chicago, serving from 1983 until his death in 1987. From his first mayoral campaign until the end of his life, Washington had the full support of Eugene Sawyer, who was then alderman of Chicago's sixth ward. Sawyer's support carried considerable clout as his ward had a predominantly black constituency and held the largest democratic majority vote in the city. Washington died suddenly just a few months into his second term, after which Sawyer served as acting mayor. In this way, Sawyer became the second black mayor of Chicago.

"Nobody but Harold" was a common refrain during Washington's 1987 campaign for re-election. The phrase appeared on pinback buttons and was heard at campaign rallies throughout Chicago.

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The Harold Washington Party was founded in Chicago, Illinois in the late 1980s to represent the interests of the African-American population in the city. Although the party was named for the city's first African-American mayor, Harold Washington, it was created after his death in 1987. It backed and nominated candidates for local office, but courts did not allow their nominees to be listed on ballots. H.W.P has been inactive since 1996, but their website states they are planning to once again mobilize with a platform that encourages the people of Illinois to take control of a failing government. 

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Punch 9 was a re-election campaign in support of Mayor Harold Washington and referred to the 9th position on the ballot to cast a vote for him. In 1983 he made history and became the first African-American mayor of Chicago.

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Prior to the 1995 mayoral election in Chicago, a group of Africans Americans led by Lu Palmer sought to find an African American candidate they felt could beat the incumbent, Richard Daley. The first rally, called a “Dump Daley” rally, was held in April of 1993 at a South Side church and garnered the support of a number of African American elected officials. Each attendee was asked to submit the name of an African American they felt would have a good chance of ousting, or ‘dumping’ Daley.

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Gloria Chevere was a Chicago lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for city clerk in the 1987 primary election. She was endorsed for city clerk by Mayor Harold Washington, who was the first African American to be elected as the mayor of Chicago and was running for re-election that same year. Washington won re-election for mayor and then passed away in the fall of 1987. Chevere later secured an executive position with the Chicago Transit Authority after her loss in the election.